Smoke Thieves Review

Indie bookstores are a wonderful place to work. I love being able to read a few books and deciding whether to review them before they are officially released. It helps me answer the question I am often asked, “Is this the right age group for my child?” The other question I get is, “Does this book have content appropriate for my child, who is at a higher reading level?” Without galley copies, I may not have a chance to answer the questions. I am able to explore various titles I never thought I would pick up-being a hardcore mystery fan.

Smoke Thieves is not a mystery, well not entirely. It is a fantasy-Sci-Fi book for young adults. Sally Green has taken fantasy to a new level for me with the thought that there are demons who breathe smoke when they die and it can make people high and happy, who are mortal. The undercurrent theme regarding the smoke is about how dangerous addiction can be. I don’t know if Sally Green meant that to be a theme, but it is certainly something I got out of it.

Her main theme is that women can be strong and should not have to be forced to stick to the laws of society that have existed for so long.

Beyond the themes, I find this is a book young adults will want to pick up, as will adults because it has great style, depth of characters, and it is a fast read. It is also book one in the series, so look out because your teenagers are going to want to read the second one as soon as they set down the first.

Sally Green has left the ending open for book two, with several possibilities of what may occur. Look for the title in May 2018 in your local store. Anyone who reads Sci-fi fantasy young adult novels will want to pick this up. You will be entertained, and left wanting more.